Tag Archives: resolutions

Reflections on Resolutions and Writing

‘Tis the season.

What does your season look like?

It’s December, and I’m running around with holiday madness. I don’t have the time to remember my gift list let alone what I did or didn’t accomplish this year. In fact, if hadn’t written them down, I’d have forgotten I even had thoughts to change my world.

I don’t believe in resolutions. Too often they’re wishes without a specific plan for success. That’s why I embraced my writers’ group commitment to three Non-Resolutions for 2015. The challenge was to identify the “specific and concrete” steps to “improve yourself as a writer.” I did this thinking it a simple challenge something specific and easy it’s the end of the year, tis the season to look ahead while looking back. so I share my successes and failures in life, the universe and everything else.

How did I do? Let’s just say I take ownership of my actions and my non-actions. These were my commitments:

1.(A) Find an editor and (B) publish my memoir before June 2015.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Not even close. Every time I sat down to edit, thinking the book just needed some tweaking, I found a jumble of sentence fragments and missplelled words instead. I suspected that organizing the non-chronological series of vignettes was the problem. I came up with creative ways to procrastination. I read blog posts by fiction and nonfiction writers to learn how they handled organization. I read a memoir to see how it was organized. I found checklists to follow, but still my story didn’t flow.

That got me thinking about format and tools to ease my struggles. I purchased Scrivener, a software program has a “corkboard” to organize my thoughts and scenes so I can rearrange as often as needed with a swift swipe of my mouse. This is a useful procrastination, I told myself. I spent two weeks slugging through the detailed tutorial and then hit a snag with the program. I set it aside in frustration to continue after November’s NaNoWriMo. It’s December and is still untouched.

2.Explore at least one new book/genre and revisit an old favorite.

This was a flop. Aside from reading that one memoir early in the year, I didn’t finish another book.

I started what I presumed was “an old favorite” but it wasn’t as interesting as I remembered. I found a sci-fi book that both Mom and I read. I committed to read it at night, maybe not every night, but I put it and a spare pair of reading glasses on my nightstand for convenience. The only space available was at the edge, so the book is too far to reach, and my clumsy, ill-fitting dollar store glasses are awkward to wear. I have made reading more complicated than it should be.

3.Set aside time to journal at least once a month.

I accomplished this! I may have skipped weeks at a time, but I wrote more, that I know. That I feel. I mingled my thoughts with blog posts and ideas, sprinkled between to-do lists and notes from writers’ conferences and meetings. I rediscovered that I write more fluidly by hand, so I spent more time journaling just for the fun and love of writing on paper. Writing by hand is organic to me, so I will keep journaling.

Nothing is truly a failure. These commitments did not need to be complete, nor did they need to be completed for me to succeed. I learned about myself and gained some valuable perspectives and insights into my actions.

What did I learn?

I need to break my writing and editing tasks into smaller snippets and set a timer. Tell myself “Tuesday morning, research editors” and allot 27 minutes only. I’ll know at the end of the timer I’ll either need a break or feel inspired to keep working. It’s how I survived and won NaNoWriMo.

In 23, 27 or 33 minute segments, I wrote 50,721 words in the last 20 days of the months. I started on November 11, so this equaled 2500 words/day which for me was about 1 1/2 hours per day. That means I can find the time to write because I have the time when I’m not distracted by Major Crimes on TV or Angry Birds on my phone. I remind myself of this daily because not only is it motivating but because in the madness of the month, I discovered a 25,000-word story, a complete one that I can actually work with and interests me. I consider the purchase a distraction and a success. I can use Scrivener to organize this book as I edit to publish by the end of 2015, a swift spellbinding sequel to my initial Jimmy the Burglar book.

Getting back to my roots of handwriting gave me the opportunity to see what I was thinking. Words on paper, written by my hand, helped me focus on what I want to do with my writing. I will change the focus of my blog to include more writing, insights, interviews and inspiration. Posts on Deadwood Writers Voices may change. I want to entertain my readers, offer them something worthwhile, while writing topics that excite my passion and enthusiasm. I’m exploring what those topics may be.

As for reading books, I will purchase a better pair of reading glasses.

Four Tips about Writing and Everything Else

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It’s the middle of November; how are your resolutions or yearly goals progressing?

I am incredible. My NaNo word count is a work in progress.

This is the heart of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the month where every writer and would-be writer suddenly finds the time to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Accomplishing this feat results in nothing more than bragging rights and the messy first draft of the novel you’ve been meaning to write. How do we make time now when we didn’t have one spare moment in the past 11 months?

The holiday season kicks off, too. If you’re a crafter, the stress of making Christmas cards is here because only 37 days remain until Christmas. To you chefs, the Thanksgiving meal is 8 days away. Other celebrations and holidays are a few weeks from now. What happened to your New Year’s Resolutions?

Oh, right. Those.

Why do you let everything and everyone else get in the way of your plans? How can you change that?

Schedule writing time, and I mean put it in your calendar. Would you miss a doctor or dentist appointment? What about your child’s football championship? Are you planning to miss your child’s trumpet solo at the musical recital? Writing time–or anything else–is a meeting with yourself. It is important, so block that time off in your calendar.

Set a timer for every activity you do, then switch to something new when the alarm sounds. I’ve heard that tip before, and I blew it off as corny…until I tried it. In increments of 23 minutes, I can wash a load of laundry, take a short walk or exercise, empty the dishwasher, catch up on one social media outlet, reply to some emails, or write a few dozen words.

Set deadlines. If you have a project due at work, do you blow it off and say, “I’ll get to it when I can.” There are unpleasant consequences for doing that. If you’re moving, you have boxes packed and mail forwarded by your departure date. I bet you don’t ignore such timeframes, so set a goal for yourself and stick to it. No excuses.

Reward yourself for completed tasks. If you have something good waiting for you at the end of a journey, you’re more likely to finish. Rewards don’t have to be big and expensive. Buy yourself something goofy from the dollar store. Get yourself a bouquet of flowers, one piece of Godiva chocolate, your favorite craft beer, or a coloring book. Tuck individual rewards you’ve listed in sealed envelopes, and choose one at each milestone you set. Surprises are extra-fun. Whatever you choose, be kind to yourself. If this is the first time you scheduled time for yourself and you didn’t accomplish everything, still reward your effort.

Small, simple changes: that’s how resolutions become accomplishments. “Losing weight” can only be accomplished by first “eating more veggies” followed by “climbing stairs at work for exercise.” That’s why NaNoWriMo is successful: 50,000 words at 1667 words per day. You can make small changes now, even if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the holiday season. Take time and test yourself by doing something you love. Write. There’s always enough blank space on the calendar to fit that in, even if it’s only five minutes.

Living by example, come back next month to see how this writer has handled life, the universe and everything else.

Resolutions

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This week, I helped clean out and organize the family garage and thought about my 2015 resolutions. I have two lists – one for chores and the second is “My 2015 Non-Commitments for My Writing Growth.”

The first three items were submitted to Deadwood Writers.

1) Enter the Writer’s Digest Short Story Contest. I did submit a short, short story to their 2014 contest, but didn’t win. I’m working on one for 2015.

2) Send two short humor pieces to Reader’s Digest. I’m waiting to hear from them.

3) Write 25,000 words of my novel, “January Market.” I’m struggling with this one. I’ve got to get back to it before I lose my story.

My other commitments include writing my monthly blog for Deadwood Writers Voices. Done.

I also planned to write one column for my family reunion book this year. I completed the entire reunion book telling some of my family’s history and included some facts about Michigan, the site of the reunion. That sparked interest and inspired a guessing game as part of our “Meet and Greet” activities.

My other commitments include completing several writing projects, organizing my writing, and reading more genre fiction books. With five months to go before the end of the year, I expect to check off a few more listed items.

How are your writing commitments or resolutions coming? Were you able to complete at least some of them? If not, what are your plans for the rest of the year?

Do You (Still) Read Books?

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When is the last time you read a book?

My answer to that question is: late February. But my real answer should be: I don’t read enough. And that’s a sad thing for a writer.

I talk a lot about the way we wrote as kids, just for the fun of it, no expectations, just playing with words. I should also be dancing with books, traveling through other worlds to experience the words of others. I should be reading not necessarily to learn from or to study with an eye towards technique, but really, just to pass the time.

“Should” is an evil, passive excuse of a word. Anything that “should” be done “needs” to be done. That is so much easier to say than do because there is so much more in the world to do.

Welcome to the world of social media. We pass our time with heads buried in our phones or tablets, getting neck cramps from looking down too much, missing the scenery we ride by and not hearing the people around us. Given that, who wants to carry a book when you’ve got hundreds downloaded onto your Kindle or Nook app? Further frustration: who wants to open those apps when you can have the three-star-rush of Angry Birds or discovering five new Pinterest recipes for banana nut bread?

The world of electronic gadgets and the bright shiny oooooooh of it all do suck me in. I don’t spend my time reading books. That makes me sad, but I don’t see myself changing my routine.

The most recent book I finished was a memoir recommended to me. I bought it—a physical copy—because that person said, it sounded like the type of memoir I was writing. I bought it to study and learn from it, the story being a secondary aspect. It turns out that the approach worked for me; the story was not a great one and I didn’t connect with the character, but there were lines of brilliant emotion that struck my heart. I wonder: would I have bought that book just off a bookshelf, physical store or otherwise, if I didn’t have that writing connection to it?

I’m writing this in a Starbucks, and what a twist of coincidence just now. I overhear a conversation between two women where one says, “Have you read the latest James Patterson novel?” I’m pausing to listen. The music’s loud enough and the women are far enough away that I’m only hearing snippets. “He has a team of writers.” “He’s always on top of it.” “It’s always a mystery story.” “Reading Wall Street Journal,” at which point I think the discussion has moved on to other topics.

I am thrilled to hear this conversation. Angled towards each other, these women are still a community of two. What are they doing? I have to get a closer look. I’m a terrible judge of age, but they look the age of people who still prefer reading paperbacks. Do they have a roughed-up paperback between them? That’d be so cool. I tell myself I need to sweeten my coffee more, so I shuffle by and peer over their shoulders. They’re both looking down at large smartphones or small tablets. I am actually disappointed. I tell myself that regardless where or how they read it, they read it. Together.

They’re doing more than I am.

Months ago, I made reading a priority and set goals for the year. I contributed my part to my writers group’s list of our New Year’s Writing Non-Resolutions. You can read everyone’s lists here. One of my non-resolutions is what I think is an achievable reading goal for me.

As a writer, I feel a need to be more involved on Goodreads, so I updated my pathetically outdated account. I enrolled in the 2015 Reading Challenge. The number of books that I think is achievable for me is…well, check it out here and form your own opinion.

My list of books “currently reading” or “want to read” include two that people want me to review and/or critique. Now I’m a reviewer. Now I’m reading with a purpose, an obligation. It’s more like a job.

When was the last time I wandered a bookstore with the intention of finding a book to read for selfish pleasure? I don’t know. I really don’t know. There’s a lack of bookstores in my part of southeast Michigan. There are two Barnes and Noble bookstores located a short drive from me. There is one nice local independent store of new and used books, and then there’s one junky, cluttered used bookstore. There’s a fabulous large used bookstore on the edge of Detroit, but it’s just far enough away for me to think of it as out of the way. Nice excuses soothing my guilty conscience.

I guess I should stop making excuses for not reading.

Writing Commitments for 2015: What’s yours?

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With a new year days away, it’s that time where people make resolutions for the changes they’re making. How next year will be different because…

The problem is that most resolutions are broken, perhaps because they seem more like wishes, hopes, or dreams.

At the last meeting of 2014 for the Deadwood Writers, I invited the members to come up with commitments to grow themselves as writers. As they share their plans below, the invitation is extended to you:

What are 1 to 3 concrete steps that you will take to improve yourself as a writer. Be specific and concrete–something you can track or measure.

Non-example A: I will be a published author this year.

Example A:

I will complete a short story or article.
I will compose a query letter for the story or article.
I will use Writers Market to identify 5-10 publishers who accept simultaneous submissions and send the query letter with the short story or article.

Non-Example B: I will write more this year.

Example B:

I will read 25 books within the genres that I want to write.
I will write a draft of 2 stories that fits within the genres.
I will share these drafts with 3 people for their feedback regarding fitting the genre, plot development, and character development.

Share your writing commitments in the comments section below.

Now here are Writing Commitments by members of the Deadwood Writers…

John McCarthy

I will read at least 10 books across genres that I like to write about: Education, Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult. I’ll write a review on Good Reads or Amazon or on this blog.
I will learn writing techniques from the writing styles of at least 3 authors from reading their work, which I’ll share during the Deadwood Writers’ study sessions.
I will create a detailed outline and chapters for an Education book on Differentiated Instruction for the 2*+ Century — to be shared with 3 writer colleagues for feedback.

Claire Murray

I will start writing my blog post earlier each month this year.
I will focus my attention more on the humor in the situations that are happening around me so I have more things to write about.
I will read a book on writing.

Book Lover

I will enter the Writer’s Digest Short Story Contest
I will send two short humor pieces to Reader’s Digest
I will write 25,000 words of my novel

Karen Kittrell

Continue study on flash fiction by reading at least one writing book and attending at least one appropriate workshop.
Submit to at least one contest, magazine, editor or agent.
Write for Deadwood Writers’ Voices and/or create my own blog.

David Buehrle

Set aside 8 hours per week for writing,
Read 2-3 books that can guide me to better writing techniques.
Let 7 days pass after writing a section before beginning my own edits.

Wendi Knape

Complete final edit for A New Life in January.
Prepare and send A New Life manuscript query letters to 10 or more agents in February.
Complete the first draft of The Girl and the EMT (working title) I started writing while doing NaNoWriMo. I will be as diligent as I was while doing NaNoWriMo. I was about half way through the manuscript when I reached 50,000 words.

Victoria Wright

I will rejoin the deadwood writers voices blog.
I will attend a writing retreat.
I will read 2 or more books about writing.

Diana Hirsch

(A) Find an editor and (B) publish my memoir before June 2015.
Explore at least one new book/genre and revisit an old favorite.
Set aside time to journal at least once a month.

Katie

I will build an author’s website.
I will query at least 15 more agents by mid February.
I will blog for the Deadwood Writers’ Voices (and possibly more websites).

Kelly Bixby

Write a children’s book.
Interview two key people for the biography I’m working on.
Submit at least one article to a magazine.

Sue Remisiewicz

I will start work on one of the novels I have floating in my head.
I will enter one writing contest.
I will put the final edits on the two stories sitting unfinished on my desk.

Jeanette

I will finish my story, Tangled Web.
I will begin work on an original (non-fanfiction) story I’ve been
brainstorming on for some time.
I will read a book on writing.

Emily Walker

Finish rough draft of current piece and edit.
Submit a (magazine) publication of some kind.
Attend deadwood’s meetings after the baby is born (at least once/month).

Kook-Wha Koh

I will write monthly blogs.
I will write travel stories and essays.
I will prepare for self publishing the third book in early part of 2016.